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I’m close to ordering a 1000x1000 X-Carve to help shape and rout electric Guitar bodies and necks.
I’ve just built a Roubo style main workbench with machined 20x95 and 95x95 pine, which is very sturdy (it weighs 80kg+++), however I’m not thrilled with the idea of making another for the XCarve.
Is there any minimum spec for an XCarve bench/table? It’s going in my wooden based shed rather than a fancy flat concrete floor. Also. will I want to bolt it to the floor?
I’d rather buy/build a simple MDF workbench, but obviously if this will compromise the precision or accuracy I’d rather spend more time/money on a sturdier bench.
One thing not to skimp on is the surface you place your machine on. The X Carve frame will take the shape of the table top and if it isn’t flat, you’ll know it.
What ever you build, flat is the key word. Don’t depend on a sheet of MDF to remain flat. It will sag in time and when it does your machine will no longer be flat and make it impossible to tram. Weather will cause a wooden table to move. Temperature and humidity have that effect on wood. That’s why your doors stick on your house and your drywall cracks. So you could build a table out of 2 X 12 lumber and it would still move on you. A Torsion box top made from MDF will resist any warping and give you a good flat surface to place your machine on. Be sure you seal it to prevent any moisture getting to it due to humidity changes. Yes, inside the house too.
I found a counter top store that had a piece of scrap marble they cut to size for me. I just set it on my table and put the X carve on that. No more tramming issues just because the weather changed. Much simpler than building a Torsion Box if you can find the marble cheep enough. I only paid $60 for it to fit under my 1000 mm X Carve and now life is good.
